Improvement in drinking-fountains



W. F. CUNNINGHAM. Drinking-Fountain.

N.199,800. Patented Jan. 29,1878.

N PETERS, PHOTO LTHOGRAFHE WZL/casses UNI-'rnb STATES iPArnNrOnnIOE.

WILLIAM F'. CUNNINGHAM, OF BROOKLYN, New YORK.r

IMPROVEMENT IN D'RINKINc-FouN-IAINS.`

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 199,800, dated January 29, 1878; application filed January 2, 187B.

To all whom 'it may concern:

' Beit known that I, WILLIAM F. CUNNING- HAM, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drinking- Fountains, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication.

This :invention consists in a drinking-fountain in which a fixed drinking-cup that receives the water up through it is combined` with and arranged within an overflow cup or basin, the upper edge of which, preferably, projects slightly above the top edge of the drinking-cup, so that while the drinking-cup is not liable to be displaced or lost, in no case can the water be squirted or scattered by applying the hand as a cover to the top of the fountain over the drinkin g-cup; yet, for drinking purposes, the water is caused to rise or bubble up above the top edge of the drinking-cup in approximate relation with the upper edge of the overflow-cup, to allow of each draft being taken from or of the water thus rising above the top edge of the drinking-cup without the mouth coming in contact with the latter.

Furthermore, the invention consists in a combination, with a fixed inner drinking-cup y and an outer overflow-cup, of an inlet pipe or duct, an outlet pipe or duct,and a supply branch pipe, connecting the inlet pipe or duct with the drinking-cup, and arranged to pass through the outlet pipe or duct which connects with the overflow-cup, whereby the construction of the fountain is simplified.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a plan of a bracket or stand constructed to carry two or more fountains, all constructed in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same on the line A is the fountain bracket or stand, which is hollow, and may be of any desired design or pattern, and can be constructed to carry either one or morefountains, B. This bracket or stand, which may be bolted to a wall, C,

or be otherwise s upported, is constructed to form an inlet pipe orl duct, D, and an outlet pipe or duct, E, which latter connects with the sewer by a branch, b, while the inlet pipe or duct D is connected with a water-main or any other source for supplying water under pressure. Said bracket or stand may be thus constructed either by arranging the inlet D tached to the inlet-duct, and so that any' leakage at such joint is passed off to the waste by the duct E. The upper end of said supply-pipe Gr has a drinking-cup, H, screwed on or otherwise secured to it. This drinkingcup is inclosed by an outer overflow cup or basin, I, which is only a little larger than the inner cup H, and its top edge made to project only slightly above said inner or drinking cup, so that as the water rises or bubbles up above the top edge of the drinking-cup, there is no necessity for the mouth of the drinker to come in contact with either cup, and the water cannot be squirted or scattered by applying the hand as a cover to the top of the fountain over the drinking-cup, which will be found of great advantage when the fountain is used in public schools or other places where boys or children congregate. y The overiow-cup I screws into or otherwise connects by its tubular base with the outlet-duct E, outside of or around the sup- Ply-ripe Gn In Fig. 1, two fountains, B, are shown as carried by the bracket A, one of said fountains having the inner or drinking cup removed, for the purpose of showing the ports of exit from the overflow-cup.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the fixed drinkingcup H, constructed to receive the water up through it, of the iixedoveriiow-cup I, arranged to inclose within it the drinking-cup H, essentially as described.

2. The combination, with the fixed drinkingcup H, constructed to receive the water up through it, ofthe fixed .overflow-cup ,I.\c0n a supply branch pipe connecting the inlet strii'eted vto closely encircle or inelose the pipe or duet with the drinking-cup, and ar? drinking-cup H, and having its upper edge or ranged to pass through the outlet pipe or duct margin raised slightly above the top edge or of the oVeriloW-cup, essentially as shown and margin of the drinking-cup7 substantially as described.

specified..v y WM, F. CUNNINGHAM.

3. The lcombination, with a fixed inner. drink- Witnesses ing-cup and a fixed outer overflow-cup, of an VERNON H. HARRIS,

inlet pipe or duct, an outlet pipe or duct, and FRED; HAYNEs. 

